A reader sent in these screen captures from yesterday's episode of Sunday Morning Shootout, featuring superannuated producers Robert Evans and Richard Zanuck, understandably wondering why Zanuck appeared on television wearing handcuffs (they are handcuffs, right?) on his left wrist. At the risk of exposing our ignorance about the sartorial quirks and/or incarceration history of white-haired producers, we must admit that we have no idea. Did Evans lend him a pair, suggesting that there's no better way to freak out an "out-call massage therapist" than by suddenly shackling one's wrist to her ankle? Has Zanuck placed himself under some kind of odd self-arrest until frequent collaborator Tim Burton has a hit movie? If anyone knows why he's rocking the jailhouse bling, please share.

A close-up of the cuffs follows after the jump.

UPDATE: We asked, you answered—the explanation follows after the jump.

Thanks for the quick answers to the handcuff "mystery," one that was easily "solved" by "watching the show":

I saw the show...Richard Zanuck told a story about a practical joke in which he sent a telegram back in the day to Robert Evans pretending to be from the producer of Lawrence of Arabia. The telegram said that the producer was interested in Evans for the role of the Arab in the film and that Evans should fly out to London. Zanuck didn't think Evans would really fall for this, but he did and ended up flying to London for no reason.

On the show, Evans told Zanuck that now that he had his confession, he was going to have him thrown in jail for that practical joke. Robert Evans summoned a "police officer" who was dressed as a security guard to come and arrest Zanuck and the "cop" put the cuffs
on Zanuck. Nobody believed this was a real cop for a moment...but they politely laughed at Evans "clever" stunt anyways.